Published Aug 29, 2026 | 7:08 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 29, 2026 | 7:08 PM
The contraband weighing 12.794 kg was concealed in separate packets in different places in the vehicle.
Synopsis: Police intercepted a Toyota Innova car and found MDMA worth more than ₹10 crore hidden in secret compartments. Three people were arrested in connection with the case. Police suspect cars procured from outside Keralam are being used to transport drugs.
In what the police described as the biggest drug haul in the state, a special investigation team from Malappuram has arrested three persons in Coimbatore and seized 12.794 kg of MDMA, allegedly being smuggled into Keralam for distribution among drug networks in the state.
The arrested are Jabir Ali, 32, of Mambuvallappil in Pantallur, Malappuram; Muhammed Salih, 34, of Karimbayil at Meppadi, Wayanad; and Sham Akbar, 21, of Anakkayam, Malappuram.
The arrests were made by a team led by Malappuram District Police Chief Chaitra Teresa John as part of a probe into an interstate drug trafficking network.
According to the police, the three are members of a gang involved in large-scale drug trafficking, with links both within and outside Keralam.
The MDMA recovered from the vehicle is estimated to be worth more than ₹10 crore in the retail market.
The investigation began after the Manjeri police recently arrested six persons and seized 100 grams of MDMA during a search at a private apartment in Manjeri town.
Also Read: Operation Toofan nets ₹30 crore worth of drugs in first month
Detailed interrogation of the suspects led the special investigation team to several members and operational details of the larger trafficking network.
Investigators found that the gang allegedly procured and stored large quantities of MDMA at secret locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru before transporting the drugs to Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for distribution.
The gang is also suspected of using luxury vehicles with concealed compartments to transport the contraband.
Further surveillance identified Coimbatore, Palani, Pollachi and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu as important hubs of the network.
Police said the gang carried out drug transactions mainly in busy towns to avoid detection.
Acting on the information gathered during the investigation, the special team intensified surveillance around Coimbatore.
Police intercepted and arrested the three suspects near the town.
During a subsequent search of an Innova car allegedly used by the gang, police discovered 12.794 kg of MDMA concealed inside the door pads.
The contraband had reportedly been packed into several packets weighing between 200 grams and 500 grams and concealed at different points inside the vehicle.
Police suspect that the vehicle was being used to transport the drug through Keralam, with the network extending from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.
The seized MDMA was allegedly intended for distribution among young people in Keralam as well as in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Chaitra Teresa John said the investigation had yielded clues about other members of the network.
Some of them are suspected of travelling by air to Delhi, Mumbai and other places, procuring luxury vehicles from outside the state and bringing them back for use in drug transportation.
The police are continuing their investigation to identify the source of the MDMA, trace the remaining members of the interstate network and establish the full extent of its operations.
The seizure is being described by the Kerala Police as the largest MDMA haul made by the state police so far.
